Dry, free-flowing meat curing compositions



United States Patent 3,052,560 DRY, FREE-FLOWING MEAT CURINGCOMPOSITIONS William Delaney, Chicago, Ill., assignor to KadisonLaboratories, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware N0 Drawing.Filed Apr. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 101,358 13 Claims. (Cl. 99-222) Myinvention relates to certain new and useful meat curing compositions inthe form of dry, free-flowing products.

Conventional meat curing compositions contain alkali metal nitritesand/or nitrates, notably sodium nitrite and/or sodium nitrate, usuallyin admixture with one or more other materials such as common salt; canesugar; corn sugar or dextrose; ascorbic acid and isomers of ascorbicacid such as l-ascorbic acid, d-ascorbic acid and d-isoascorbic acid andwater-soluble salts thereof, most commonly the alkali metal salts; aswell as other materials. In the dry form, as distinguished from aqueoussolutions thereof, it has long been known that such com positions areunstable and deteriorate in shipment and in storage. Thus, for instance,a variety of reactions takes place in the dry compositions as, forexample, conversion of nitrate to nitrite and liberation of nitrogenoxides from the nitrite, and not infrequently undesirable discolorationof the dry curing composition occurs.

Various efforts have been made effectively to solve this problem. Thus,for instance, in dry meat curing compositions which comprise essentiallysodium chloride, alkali metal nitrite with or without alkali metalnitrate, and an alkali metal salt of ascorbic acid or an isomer ofascorbic acid, it has been proposed, and commercially practiced, toincorporate into said dry compositions an alkaline material such assodium carbonate within controlled limits to stabilize the drycompositions against loss of nitrite in storage and shipment. Suchprocedures leave much to be desired from a number of standpointsincluding their relative effectiveness.

It has been found, in accordance with the present invention, that dry orsolid, free-flowing meat curing compositions can be prepared whichremain stable and free from deterioration on storage or shipment overprolonged periods of time in a simple fashion. This is achieved bycoating the pulverulent particles or crystals of the alkali metalnitrite and/or nitrate with a non-hygroscopic film or thin coating of aninnocuous material. In those meat curing compositions which contain bothan alkali metal nitrite and an alkali metal nitrate, it is particularlypreferred to coat the particles or crystals thereof with an essentiallycontinuous film or coating of the non-hygroscopic coating material but,in any event, the alkali metal nitrite should be coated since it is mostsusceptible to breakdown or deterioration. Similarly, where the meatearring compositions contain alkali metal nitrite and/or nitrate andascorbic acid or its isomers, or the innocuous salts thereof,non-hygroscopic innocuous essentially continuous coatings can beprovided on the particles or crystals thereof but, again, for bestresults, the alkali metal nitrite particles or crystals at least shouldbe provided with such a coating.

The non-hygroscopic coatings which are available for use may be selectedfrom a large group of materials which are solid at room temperatures andpreferably up to 110 or 120 degrees F., illustrative examples of whichare solid fats such as tallow; hydrogenated oils such as corn oil,cottonseed oil and soya bean oil; monoand di-glycerides andpolyglycerides of normally solid higher fatty acids such as palmiticacid and stearic acid; lecithins; higher fatty acids such as palmiticacid and stearic acid as such or in admixture with lesser quantities ofpolyhydroxy compounds such as glycerol, propylene glycol and sorbitol;carboxymethyl celluloses; methylcellulose; ethylcellulose; starches; andthe like. I find it particularly desirable for the purposes of thepresent invention to use, as coating materials, those which arewater-soluble or readily water-dispersible, particularly at roomtemperatures or below, especially satisfactory being higher fatty 1 acidmonoglycerides and diglycerides or mixtures thereof, higher fatty acidpolyglycerides, higher fatty acid partial esters of sorbitol andsorbitan, higher fatty acid partial esters of sugars and of methylglucosides, and, in general, higher fatty acid partial esters ofaliphatic watersoluble polyhydric alcohols or polyhydroxy substances;and water-soluble gum-like compounds such as sodium carboxymethylcelluloses.

The manner in which the particles or crystals of the alkali metalnitrites and nitrates and the ascorbic acids or ascorbates are coatedwith an essentially continuous film or coating of the non-hygroscopicinnocuous coating material forms no part of my present invention. Thiscan readily be accomplished in a variety of ways which, from a coatingtechnique standpoint per so, are well known in the art. Thus, forinstance, if the coating material is meltable at sufficiently lowtemperature so that, at such temperature no untoward reactions occurwith the al-.

kali metal nitrite crystals or other pulverulent particles to be coated,it may be admixed in pulverulent form with the alkali metal nitritecrystals or otherpulverulent particles, then sieved a plurality of timesthrough an to 100 mesh screen, then heated to just above the meltingpoint of the coating material and rapidly and intimately stirredcontinuously while allowing the mass to cool and dry. Another procedureis to dissolve the coating material in a volatile organic solvent, spraythe coating solution on the crystals of sodium nitrite or otherpulverulent material while agitating the same, and then to evaporate offthe organic solvent. The particular techniques of effecting the coatingare not material to my present invention so long as they provide anessentially continuous thin film or coating on the alkali metal nitritecrystals or other pulverulent material to be coated, and the final solidmeat curing compositions which embody the coated ingredients arefree-flowing.

The following examples are illustrative of solid, freeflowing meatcuring compositions falling within the scope of the invention. positionscan readily be evolved following the guiding principles and teachingsprovided herein. The numerical values represent parts by weight.

Example 1 Sodium chloride Sodium nitrate 5 Sodium nitrite- 4 Sodiumascorbate 1' The sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite crystals are coatedwith a film of tallow fatty acid monoglycerides.

The sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite crystals are coated With a film ofsodium: carboxymethyl cellulose.

Example 3 Cane sugar Potassium nitrate 8 Potassium nitrite 10 Sodiumascorbate 20 It will be understood that other com 3 The potassiumnitrite and sodium ascorbate crystals are coated with a film of sorbitanmono-stearate.

Example 4 Sodium chloride 100 Sodium nitrite 5 Sodium asconbate 12 Thesodium nitrite crystals are coated with a film of sodium canboxymethylcellulose.

Example 5 Sodium chloride 105 Sodium nitrate 11 Sodium nitrite 16Dextrose 1 The sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite crystals are coatedwith a film of ethylcellulose.

Example 6 Sodium chloride 1125 Sodium nitrite 125 Dextrose The sodiumnitrite crystals are coated with a film of sodium carboxymethylcellulose.

Example 7 Sodium chloride 190 Cane sugar 125 Sodium nitrite 1 Sodiumnitrate 8 Ascorbic acid 1 The sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate andascorbic acid crystals are coated with a film of triple pressed stearicacid monoglyceride.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been described inorder to illustrate the invention, it will be obvious to those skilledin the art that various changes and modifications may be made, in thelight of the guiding principles and teachings provided herein, withoutdeparting from the invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, theappended claims are intended to encompass all such changes andmodifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. A solid, free-flowing meat curing composition which includes at leastone compound in pulverulent form selected from the group consisting ofalkali metal nitrites and nitrates, said pulverulent compound beingcoated with a non-hygroscopic innocuous protective coating.

2. A solid, free-flowing meat curing composition which includes apulverulent alkali metal nitrite the particles of which are coated witha non-hygroscopic water-soluble innocuous protective coating.

3. A solid, free-flowing meat curing composition which includespulverulent sodium nitrite the particles of which are coated with a filmof sodium carboxymethyl cellulose.

4. A solid, free-flowing meat curing composition which includespulverulent sodium nitrite the particles of which are coated with a filmof a higher fatty acid partial ester of a watersoluble aliphaticpolyhydroxy compound.

5. A solid, free-flowing meat curing composition which includespulverulent sodium nitrite the particles of which are coated with a filmof a member selected from the group consisting of monoglycerides,diglycerides and mixtures thereof.

6. A solid, free-flowing pulverulent meat curing composition whichincludes (a) a member selected from the group consisting of ascorbicacid and its isomers and their Water-soluble salts, and (b) an alkalimetal nitrite, at least one of said (a) and (b) ingredients being coatedwith a non-hygroscopic innocuous protective coating.

7. A solid, free-flowing pulverulent meat curing composition whichincludes an alkali metal ascorbate and an alkali metal nitrite, saidalkali metal nitrite being coated with a non-hygroscopic innocuousprotective coating.

8. A solid, free-flowing pulverulent meat curing composition whichincludes sodium ascorbate and sodium nitrite, the sodium nitrite beingcoated with a non-hygroscopic innocuous protective coating.

9. -A solid, free-flowing pulverulent meat curing composition whichincludes sodium isoascorbate and sodium nitrite, at least one of saidingredients being coated with a non-hygroscopic water-soluble innocuousprotective coating.

10. A solid, free-flowing pulverulent meat curing composition whichincludes sodium ascorbate and sodium nitrite, at least one of saidingredients being coated With a non-hygroscopic water-soluble innocuousprotective coating.

11. A solid, free-flowing pulverulent meat curing composition whichincludes (a) a member selected from the group consisting of ascorbicacid and its isomers and their Water-soluble salts, and (b) an alkalimetal nitrite, said alkali metal nitrite being coated with a film ofsodium carboxymethyl cellulose.

12. A solid, free-flowing pulverulent meat curing composition whichincludes (a) a member selected from the group consisting of ascorbicacid and its isomers and their water-soluble salts, and (b) an alkalimetal nitrite, said alkali metal nitrite being coated with a film of ahigher fatty acid partial ester of a water-soluble aliphatic polyhydroxycompound.

13. A solid, free-flowing pulverulent meat curing compositon whichincludes (a) a member selected from the group consisting of ascorbicacid and its isomers and their water-soluble salts, and (b) an alkalimet-a1 nitrite, said alkali metal nitrite being coated with a film of amember selected from the group consisting of monoglycerides,diglyoerides and mixtures thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,054,626 Griflith Sept. 15, 1936 2,553,533 Komarik et al May 15, 19512,668,771 Hall Feb. 9, 1954' 2,828,212 S air Mar. 25, 1958

1. A SOLID, FREE-FLOWING MEAT CURING COMPOSITION WHICH INCLUDES AT LEASTONE COMPOUND IN PULVERULENT FORM SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OFALKALI METAL NITRITES AND NITRATES, SAID PULVERULENT COMPOUND BEINGCOATED WITH A NON-HYGROSCOPIC INNOCUOUS PROTECTIVE COATING.